Monday, August 26, 2013

Hobbes Family Blog tour

Welcome to the first day of the Hobbes Family blog tour. It will run until September 2nd and will feature excerpts and new author interviews each day. But first, here is the obligatory blurb about the novel to settle you into this strange world:

The world had ended abruptly and without warning. How will a family navigate a world that seems bent on destroying them? Follow them in this exciting new serial adventure.

A few questions for the author:

Is there anything you can’t let go of but you know you should?

There was a time when this would entailed a vast list indeed. However, I have become much better at letting the past stay in the past. Right now I just have goals and benchmarks that I want to reach. The past can wait.

Do you remember anyone you hated 10 years ago? Does it matter now?

Not in the slightest. There are few things in life that are worth carrying with you. Hate is most definitely not one of them. I am always reminded of the following saying when I consider carrying anger: “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” ~ Buddha

What makes you happier, forgive someone or hate someone forever?

I would be the happiest if people thought about their actions before I had to choose either of these options. At this point in my life, I would say forgiving someone is better in the long run; this point is, of course, moot if the transgression is such that I could not forgive.

What are you worrying about and what’s the difference if you stop worrying about it?

I am currently worrying about whether or not I will be an effective professor. I am teaching my first 300-level class this fall and I have a healthy concern about my efficacy. Once I have finished organizing the class and materials, my worry will fade away.

Here be an excerpt for your enjoyment:

The world had ended, or at least slowed for a spell, when the outbreak claimed the consciousness of humanity. There was a brief moment before the proverbial sky fell when many people thought the entire idea was just the shenanigans of the ne’er-do-wells who were pulling a fabulous hoax on the world. The first day brought skepticism and curiosity. Pop culture had engrained in people the fear of the unknown and a fair amount of preparation in the event of anything resembling a zombie plague.

This sense of a participatory chain of events signaling the end of Hobbes’ civilization was far more abrupt than for which many were ready. People had hoarded and stockpiled. Nary a person could be found who did not have an assault rifle or nail-bat prepped and ready for the staggering undead.

It was the deed, however, that proved far more difficult for most. Even though necrotic flesh and a certain vacancy behind the eyes announced the undead to those passable as living, it was the possibility that this momentary lapse of humanity could be overcome. This idea quickly faded as the disease spread, claiming metropolitan areas and rural areas alike.

By the end of the first week, skepticism had turned into panic. Stores were raided and cities were emptied as quickly as possible.

Roads were congested with cars fleeing to a transient safe haven just beyond the boundaries of memory and the known. The problem with being surrounded by water is that eventually you hit a coast, no matter which direction you drove. Cars were abandoned as power grids wavered and then went silent. Soon, the nights were as dark as the inside of a coffin and the days unperturbed by the sounds of the city.

Philosophers had for the majority of human civilization discussed what man would be like in this state of nature. Great minds debated the merits and pitfalls of a world unperturbed by the guiding force of norms and mores. It appeared that something drawn from nightmares and the fiendish, albeit amusing, minds of writers who envisioned a world where the rebuilding of a civilization was juxtaposed against a frightening dystopia burdened by moral ambiguity and vagary of purpose. The great apocalypse proved to be a grand thought experiment, much to the chagrin of everyone.

Bio: A psychologist, author, editor, philosopher, martial artist, and skeptic, he has published several novels and currently has many in print, including: The End of the World Playlist, Bitten, The Journey, The Ocean and the Hourglass, The Path of the Fallen, The Portent, and Cerulean Dreams. Follow him on Twitter (@AuthorDanOBrien) or visit his blog http://thedanobrienproject.blogspot.com. He recently started a consultation business. You can find more information about it here: http://www.amalgamconsulting.com/.